World News Quick Take

Agencies

JAPAN

Quake hits Fukushima coast

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture early yesterday morning, the US Geological Survey said. The moderate quake hit 34km east of Namie City in the prefecture, where a devastating quake and ensuing tsunami sparked a nuclear disaster and caused massive damage in March 2011. Yesterday’s earthquake occurred at 2:18am off the east coast of Honshu Island, at a depth of 63km, US geologists said in a preliminary report. No tsunami warning has been issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, according to the Kyodo News Agency.

AUSTRALIA

Shark attacks fisherman

A man is thought to have been killed by a shark while spear fishing off the southern coast yesterday, officials said. South Australia State Police said in a statement that the 28-year-old was part of a group spear fishing off Yorke Peninsula, west of state capital Adelaide, when witnesses reported seeing a shark attack him at midday. Police and emergency services crews are searching the area around Goldsmith Beach with boats and helicopters, but so far have found no trace of the man.

TANZANIA

Australia seizes heroin haul

The Royal Australian Navy yesterday said it seized and destroyed 353kg of heroin with an estimated street value of more than A$700 million (US$627 million) in a mission off the coast of Tanzania. The HMAS Melbourne discovered the haul when its crew boarded a vessel on Wednesday as part of a mission “in support of deterring terrorism and promoting peace and security in the maritime regions of the Middle East and Indian Ocean.” The navy said the material was tested and it returned a positive reading for heroin. A team from the frigate seized the drugs, took samples and destroyed the remainder. “Melbourne has once again demonstrated how beneficial Australia’s commitment is to the Indian Ocean region and the fight against international terrorism and violent extremism,” Australian Commodore Daryl Bates said in a statement. “During her time with Combined Maritime Forces, she has successfully disrupted a piracy attack and conducted four successful narcotics seizures, seizing 23.8kg of methamphetamines and now 353kg of heroin. These seizures have severely impacted the funding network of those terrorist organizations that rely on these shipments for income,” Bates added.

INDIA

Italian marines escape death

The government on Friday acceded to Italy’s request to not invoke an anti-piracy law carrying the death penalty when it tries two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen. A Ministry of Home Affairs official said the government had decided against invoking the law against the marines, who are awaiting trial. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. The nation’s top court on Monday had ordered the government to decide within a week if it would invoke the law. Details of what charges the Italians face were not immediately known. The Italians were on anti-pirate duty aboard a cargo ship in 2012 when they fired at the fishermen on an Indian boat, saying they mistook the fishermen for pirates. Italy had objected to plans by India’s anti-terror agency to invoke maritime laws that carry the death penalty. The Press Trust of India news agency said the marines would now be prosecuted under the Suppression of Unlawful Act and face imprisonment up to 10 years each if convicted.